Calls for Submissions

Calls for Submissions: January 2026

If you have a call for submissions or a contest of interest to Sonoma County writers, send it to editor@socolitupdate.com. Calls for submissions are listed in chronological order (earliest deadlines first).

NEW! TeamAndMore maintains an Open Call page listing anthologies seeking stories across multiple genres.

For a current list of calls for submission from around the country, as well as deadlines for writers’ contests and awards, conferences and residencies, and literary magazine and small press databases, visit the Poets & Writers website.

Chill Subs has a database of over 3,000 literary magazines, easily sorted by genre, fees, payment, etc., and includes a submission tracker. It is free to use (after registering). Paid memberships include weekly curated lists of agents and other publishing opportunities. See: chillsubs.com

Submittable maintains a list of current calls on its Discover tab at https://manager.submittable.com/opportunities/discover. Many publications only accept submissions via Submittable. To do so, you will need to sign up for a free Submittable account.

Duotrope is a searchable database of over 2100 current markets for short fiction, poetry, and novels/collections in all genres. Available to paid subscribers only ($5/month or $50/year).

The New Pages Big List of Literary Magazines. Focuses on literary print and online magazines, listed A to Z. Also check the Calls for Submissions page.

Everywriter Resources. This site is packed with articles on how to get published and other writing resources, and a searchable database for journals and magazines, literary or genre, with submission opportunities. Everywriter also publishes articles, fiction and poetry on the site. (Register to submit.) https://www.everywritersresource.com

Facebook Groups Dedicated to Literary Calls for Submission (updated 7/1/2024):

Be sure to check the ONGOING calls below. A number of journals accept submissions year-round (listed in alphabetical order).

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New World Writing Quarterly: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

New World Writing Quarterly invites submissions in the first fourteen days of January, April, July and October, and publishes in those same months. Current deadline: January 14, 2026

Submissions should be sent as attachments in MS Word format and should include a short 150–200 word bio note at the end of each manuscript submission. All rights (except NWW reprint rights) revert to individual authors upon publication. No fee to submit (no payment).

Guidelines and submission link: newworldwriting.net/submissions

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2026 Rattle Chapbook Prize

Three winners, judged by the editors of Rattle, will receive $5,000 and 500 author copies of their chapbook, which will also be distributed to all of Rattle‘s 8,000+ subscribers along with issues of the magazine. At least one of the winners will be a poet who has not yet published a full-length book of poetry (more than 48 pages). The $30 entry fee is a one-year subscription to Rattle (or a one-year extension for subscribers). The winners will be announced on April 15, 2026. Unpublished individual poems from the manuscripts may also be offered standard publication in Rattle. The deadline for submission is January 15, 2026.

Regular submissions of individual poems are open year round and are free. Contributors in print receive $200/poem and a complimentary one-year subscription to the magazine. Online contributors receive $100/poem.

For details and Submittable link: rattle.com/page/submissions

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The Good Life Review

Submissions to our Spring Issue are open (fee of $3). The window closes on January 20th.

Payment: $60 per piece for writing published in seasonal issues.

Submit up to 5 poems. Fiction and nonfiction to 5,000 words. Or flash 500 to 1,000 words.

Guidelines and submission link: thegoodlifereview.com/submissions

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Sixteen Rivers Call for Manuscripts

Sixteen Rivers Press Poetry Collective invites Northern California authors to submit book-length poetry manuscripts between November 1, 2025 and February 1, 2026. Sixteen Rivers values diversity. We encourage poets of color, young poets, and LGBTQ poets to submit. All manuscripts will be read blind, and typically one or two manuscripts are selected for publication. The winner/s will be announced on the press’s website during summer 2026. Selected manuscripts will be scheduled for publication in spring 2028.

Online Submissions: Send an e-mail to submissions@sixteenrivers.org with your name, address, phone number, and the name of your manuscript. Attach a PDF of your manuscript to the e-mail address (name the PDF with the title of your manuscript). In the body of the e-mail, please include a personal statement (350 to 500 words) about why you want to work in a publishing collective, including any special experience or skills you might contribute, and tell us where you heard about our press and our call for submissions. The manuscript must be e-mailed no later than February 1, 2026. Note: We do not accept hard-copy manuscripts sent by US mail.

Please do not include your name anywhere in your manuscript, as it is important that your manuscript be a blind submission. The manuscript must be single-spaced and between 60 and 90 pages. Manuscripts must be previously unpublished, although individual poems may have been published online or in print. The manuscript should include a title page without the author’s name and address, a table of contents, and an acknowledgments page listing previous publications of the poems.

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The Maine Review

The Maine Review seeks outstanding contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including works in translation and hybrid forms. Deadline: February 13, 2026

Accepting prose to 3,000 words and up to 3 poems. $3 fee per submission. Fiction and nonfiction writers receive a $25 honorarium per published flash (1,000 words or fewer) and a $50 honorarium for work 1,001 words or more. Poets receive a $25 honorarium per published poem.

Guidelines and submissions: mainereview.submittable.com/submit

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Wordrunner eChapbooks: Spring 2026 Themed Anthology

Petaluma-based Wordrunner eChapbooks seeks fiction, CNF/memoir and poetry for its 57th issue, to be published in April or May 2026.

The theme for the 2026 anthology is ENDINGS. Any kind of ending (love, life, work, friendship). Submissions are open from January 1 through February 28, 2026.

Submit up to three poems (no longer than a page each) or three flash fictions (500 to 1,000 words each), or one short story, novel or CNF/memoir excerpt, or a personal essay (up to 5,000 words). There are separate categories for poetry, fiction and nonfiction.

Submission fee for the anthology: $3. Fees cover our basic operational expenses and payment to authors.

Payment for work published in anthologies: $10 for poems, $15 (flash fiction) to $25 for stories and essays. The EDITOR’S CHOICE prose piece will be paid $50.

All of our issues are now archived on the EBSCO database, available to university and public libraries worldwide.

For guidelines and submission link: echapbook.com/submissions.html#anthology

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Ode to Petaluma: A Rivertown Poets Anthology

Rivertown Poets is now accepting poetry for their upcoming anthology. Poets are invited to send in their poems celebrating all things Petaluma: its charm, people, culture, river, landscape, history, architecture, etc. Selections will be juried by Sonoma County Poet Laureate Dave Seter and Rivertown Poets co-hosts Shawna Swetech and Sande Anfang. Submission Window: January 5 – March 15, 2026. 

Submission Guidelines: 

  • Poetry submissions are open to all over 18. Only poems on the theme of Petaluma will be considered. You do not need to be a resident of Petaluma to submit.
  • Please send up to 2 original and unpublished poems. Each poem may be up to 38 lines but no more than 300 words total.  Please use Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. No AI generated poetry will be accepted. 
  • Submit your work and information in one Word document. Put your name, address, email and phone number on the first page of the submission document, followed by each poem on its own separate page. Please email your submission to odetopetaluma@gmail.comYou will be contacted by July 1st if your poem was chosen for inclusion in the book. You will receive a PDF copy of the finished work. 
  •  There is a $10.00 submission fee to help defray publishing costs. Use the Venmo scan code located below and include your name. Or mail a check payable to Monica Volker, 65 Astoria Circle, Petaluma, CA 94954. Venmo → @Monica-Volker

 

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ONGOING CALLS:

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NEW! Neo-Mimeo Editions Open for Submissions

Sonoma County publisher Pat Nolan (of Nualláin House) wants your poetry manuscripts, preferably in a Word doc, maximum 20 pages, minimum 12 pages, at 16pt Courier Bold submitted to nuallainhousepublishers@gmail.comWhat is Neo-Mimeo? Per Nolan,

Mimeo reiterated here in the digital format recalls the tang of authenticity that purposed those endeavors, a more legitimate way of presenting work, not as commercial product but as unadorned entrée to necessary information which is essentially the definition of poetry.

For examples of what the final product looks like, see: nuallainhousepublishers.com/neo-mimeo-editions

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The Bloom: Open Call for Poetry, Stories, CNF

Started in 2018 by David and Trudy Wakefield, The Bloom is based in Lake County, northern California and dedicated to showcasing all the good parts of life. If it’s good news, you’ll probably find it here. That includes creative writing!

Creative submissions to The Bloom:
Submissions are open to all authors, not just residents of Lake County, CA. We’re currently interested in poetry, prose, fiction, creative nonfiction, local history, human interest stories, and restaurant/winery reviews. Authors are paid.

Guidelines and a content release form are available at www.lakecountybloom.com/submit. Email the completed form along with your submission to Poet Laureate Georgina Marie Guardado: georginamarie@lakecountybloom.com

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Blue Mountain Press Accepting Book Manuscripts

Blue Mountain Press, the book division of Blue Mountain Arts, is accepting manuscripts in the following categories: gift books, personal growth, teens/tweens, family, relationships, motivational, and inspirational. Mail manuscripts to: Blue Mountain Press, P.O. Box 4219, Boulder, CO 80306. Request proposal guidelines or e-mail queries to BMPbooks@sps.com. Please add Sonoma somewhere in the subject line so we know you found this posting on the Sonoma County Literary Update website.

Please note: We are not accepting works of fiction, rhyming poetry, children’s books, chapbooks, memoirs, or books that promote a specific religion.

There is no deadline for submissions.

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C&R Press: Call for Full-Length Manuscripts

C&R publishes fiction, short stories, poetry, essays, memoir and mixed genre work, with an aim to highlight female, minority, LGBT,  immigrant, progressive and submerged voices. Recent titles include While You Were Gone by Sibyl Baker, Ivy vs. Dogg: With a Cast of Thousands! by Brian Leung and Dark Horse by Kristina Marie Darling, as well as a collaboration with the Women’s National Book Association on Women in the Literary Landscape.

Our website is www.crpress.org, and you’ll find the link to our
submissions guidelines here: http://www.crpress.org/submissions/.

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California Quarterly: Call for Poetry Submissions

California Quarterly is the poetry journal produced by the California State Poetry Society, with 50 pages of poetry per issue. The publication features a rich variety of work from poets nationwide as well as from other countries. Published four times a year, submissions are accepted year round. Guidelines are as follows: Submit up to 6 poems at one time, include name and address on all pages of poems (with 2-page maximum), SASE for response, unpublished poems only, and foreign poems with translations encouraged. Simultaneous submissions accepted. Send poetry submissions to:

CQ Editors
Post Office Box 4288
Sunland, California 91041

CQ is now accepting poetry submissions year-round through Submittable. See the submissions page at: www.californiastatepoetrysociety.org/publishing-with-us

You may also order a copy of the latest issue at www.californiastatepoetrysociety.org.

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Send your Essay, Poem, or Short to The CHILLFILTR Review

The CHILLFILTR Review strives to bring the best new art to a worldwide audience by leveraging best-in-class technology to create a seamless and immersive web experience. We welcome submissions from all walks of life, and all perspectives. We are committed to inclusivity and kindly welcome work from marginalized voices. All featured works will receive an honorarium of $20 per 1000 words and will be published online at The CHILLFILTR Review as well as on our Apple News Channel. Readers can vote for their favorites, and year-end “Best Of” winners will receive an additional $100 cash prize. Submissions accepted year-round.

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COVID LIT: Spread Art and Philanthropy by Submitting to COVID LIT

Deadline: Rolling
COVID LIT is a new online lit mag that gives the middle finger to COVID-19 by publishing, promoting, and spreading art, poetry, and prose using the disease’s name. What sets us apart from other magazines? Simple: instead of paying us a submission fee, all submissions must be accompanied with a minimum $3 donation to a nonprofit of the artist’s choosing. Our goal is to publish weekly online content and, eventually, a print anthology, so send your best work and use your creative superpowers for good! Visit www.covidlit.org today and help those who desperately need it.

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Flash Fiction Magazine

Flash Fiction Magazine champions original, creative and engaging works of fiction, which run between 300-1000 words in their entirety. The stories can be of any genre but the emphasis should be placed on a complete story, where there is conflict and character development. FFM is always open for submissions. It is free to submit and although they are based in California they accept stories from anywhere in the world.

There is no payment for stories published on the website but they pay $40 per story accepted for their anthologies and the best story of every month receives $100.

For guidelines and to submit your story please use the link: https://flashfictionmagazine.com/subs

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Flash Fiction Online

Beginning in January 2021, our submission portal for original and reprint stories will be open from the 1st to 21st of each month.

We are looking for complete 500- to 1000-word stories with crisp prose, well-developed characters, compelling plots, and satisfying resolutions. We want stories that engage our minds and emotions.

We publish across many genres, including speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. For more information on the type of stories we enjoy, please read a few issues and check out our “What We’re Looking For” page.

Flash Fiction Online pays $80 per story for first electronic rights for original (previously unpublished) fiction, with 6 months exclusivity, as well as a non-exclusive one-time right to publish the stories in an anthology

Submissions: https://ffo.submittable.com/submit

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Ginosko Literary Journal’s Call for Submissions

Accepting short fiction & poetry, creative nonfiction, interviews, social justice concerns, spiritual insights for GINOSKO LITERARY JOURNAL.

Editorial lead time 1-2 months; accept simultaneous submissions & reprints; length flexible, accept excerpts. Receives postal submissions & email—prefer email submissions as attachments in Microsoft Works Word Processor or Rich Text Format. Copyright reverts to author. Read year around.

Publishing as semiannual ezine. Check downloadable issues on website for style & tone: www.ginoskoliteraryjournal.com
Use latest version of Adobe Reader.

ezine circulation 6000+. Website traffic 500-750 hits/month.

Also looking for books to post on website, spoken word recordings, and links to exchange.

Ginosko (ghin-océ-koe) To perceive, understand, realize, come to know; knowledge that has an inception, a progress, an attainment. The recognition of truth by experience.

Member CLMP.

Ginosko Literary Journal
Robert Paul Cesaretti, Editor
PO Box 246
Fairfax, CA 94978

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Harvard Square Editions Accepting Novel Manuscripts

Harvard Square Editions, an alumni run independent press, is accepting manuscripts. There is no deadline for submissions. Guidelines: http://harvardsquareeditions.org/contact-page-2. Email queries to: submissions@harvardsquareeditions.org

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HeartWood Literary Magazine Call for Submissions

Brand new online literary magazine, in association with the Low-Res MFA at West Virginia Wesleyan College, publishes twice yearly in April and October.

We accept submissions year round through Submittable, and welcome previously unpublished poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, from both established and emerging writers.

Please note: We do love Appalachian voices, but we enthusiastically encourage writers from all backgrounds to submit.

We are interested in writing that pushes into, dares to reveal, its own truth, that takes emotional risks, that gets to the heart of the matter. Simultaneous submissions are fine, provided you notify us if the work is accepted elsewhere.

Complete Submission Details can be found on our website: http://www.heartwoodlitmag.com/

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Murderous Ink Press — Crimeucopia Anthology Series

Proposed series of crime fiction anthologies initially slated on a quarterly publication.

Submission windows are: January 1 to February 28, April 2 to May 31, July 1 to August 31 and October 1 to November 30, 2021. Length between 1,000 and 10,000 words. Novel extracts considered, but pitch first.

Cover art — size is B-Format/Regular UK Paperback (129 x 198mm + bleed) — see website for vague theme details. High Res 300 dpi only for accepted work.

Please ensure that all submissions are of publication standard (i.e., not 1st/2nd raw drafts). This is not our day paying job, therefore do not have the spare time to line edit every piece.

Multiple submissions welcome (within reason), though simultaneous submissions not so much.

Reprints considered, but you must be able to show full ownership.

No real hard & fast themes — all publications will be on a ‘First Filled – First Published’ basis.

As we are self-financing, the payment isn’t great. However, it is payment on acceptance, rather than payment on publication. Payment is via PayPal, and a One Time Use Licence agreement.

Publication will be via IngramSpark and Amazon so as to cover as wide a distribution set as possible – based on 1 x paperback, and 1 x ebook – and artwork 1x paper cover, 1 x ebook cover, 1x thumbnail for website.

For more details see our website at https://www.murderousinkpress.co.uk/crimeucopia.html

Submissions via email attachment to submissions@murderousinkpress.co.uk with a subject line of SUBMISSIONS_Crimeucopia_<Your Name>_<Story Title>

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Occidental Center for the Arts (OCA) Book Launch Series Guidelines: Call to All Writers

1)  All genres considered: Fiction (Novel, Novella or Short Stories), Non-Fiction, Poetry
2)  Preference given to local Sonoma County writers or material about Sonoma County.
3)  Books should be published within past twelve months. Author may read from and sell other previously published pieces.
4)  Preference given to authors with hard copy, rather than e-book.
5)  Application Procedure: Send sample of 2-3 chapters of prose; 5-10 pages of poetry. Include brief bio and any writing credits. Send to Occidental Center for the Arts website: occidentalcenterforthearts.com, and/or hard copy to OCA, 3850 Doris Murphy Way, Occidental, 95465, with “Attention: Book Launch Committee”.
6)  This is an on-going series: Submitted work will be reviewed by Book Launch Committee. Writers are notified as soon as possible.
7)  One or two writers are featured at each reading. Short reading along with book sale and signing. Each author is encouraged to create his/her launch with its own unique signature.
8)  If self-published, author provides books for the Book Launch/signing event. Authors with major publishers will arrange with OCA on how books (those sold at launch) will be obtained.
9)  Authors agree to donate a percentage of book sales (at least 10%) to Occidental Center for the Arts.
10) OCA will publicize the event but writers are expected to publicize through their social networks and e-mail lists.

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Pacifica Literary Review—General Submissions

Pacifica Literary Review accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction year round. Prose submissions must be under 5,000 words. Flash fiction submissions must be no more than 1000 words individually. Novel excerpts are acceptable, but must be able to stand alone. For poetry, please submit no more than three poems in a single document. For flash fiction, please submit no more than three pieces in a single document.

Our general submission period is open year-round with periodic closures in September, January, and May for editorial production. If the submission portals are down, we’re putting a new issue together and will re-open shortly. Simultaneous submissions are fine, as long as Pacifica Literary Review is notified immediately if the work is accepted elsewhere. We accept online submissions through our online submission system on Submittable: https://pacificaliteraryreview.submittable.com/submit

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PANK Magazine and PANK Books

[PANK] — PANK Magazine and PANK Books, Pankmagazine.com, the Little Book and Big Book series, fosters access to emerging and experimental poetry and prose, publishing the brightest and most promising writers for the most adventurous readers. To the end of the road, up country, a far shore, the edge of things, to a place of amalgamation and unplumbed depths, where the known is made and unmade, and where unimagined futures are born, a place inhabited by contradictions, a place of quirk and startling anomaly, [PANK], no soft pink hands allowed.

Please visit our page for submission info: https://pankmagazine.com/submit-2

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Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences: Submit Your Work to an Ivy League Magazine!

The Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences (PJAS) is a vibrant platform for individuals all around the world to share their scholarly and creative pursuits. The diverse voices amplified by our journal showcase creative articles, poetry, reviews, and art. With contributors from all walks of life, PJAS aims to cultivate a community rich with intellectual curiosity. The Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences accepts submissions on a rolling basis, with our next issue published in Summer 2024.

To submit to PJAS,  click on this form. A high-resolution attachment of artwork is required. You may also submit your file via email to  Sophie Kadan (sokadan@sas.upenn.edu). Include a description of the submission and a short biography. Be sure to title the subject line “PJAS Submission – Last Name, First Name.” 

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Pithead Chapel: A Monthly Online Journal of Short Fiction

Pithead Chapel is a small, independent journal out of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, run by people who love to read and write fiction.

At Pithead Chapel, we’re looking for engaging stories told in honest voices. Most of all, we want to feel something. We want to reach the last word and immediately crave more. We want your story to leave a brilliant bruise. Send us your best work and we’ll do our best to get your voice heard. Sorry, we’re not into genre pieces (e.g., science fiction, horror, fantasy, and romance).

If you write short fiction, please consider visiting us and submitting some of your work: http://pitheadchapel.com

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Postcard Poems and Prose Magazine: Open Call

Postcard Poems and Prose Magazine seeks tight, gripping prose and poetry.
We use Submittable and all submissions need to come through that system so our first-reader staff can evaluate them as a team.
https://postcardpoemsandprose.wordpress.com/

Postcard Poems and Prose publishes 8-10 poems and 4-5 flash fiction features online each month (120-200 poems and short prose pieces annually).

Reading period—January 1 thru December 31. (Open submission call)
We judge each piece on its merit rather than author biographical information.

TO SUBMIT: https://postcardpoemsandprose.submittable.com/submit

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The Rain, Party, & Disaster Society

The Rain, Party, & Disaster Society is a workshop-based online literary publication that strives to give representation to new ideas and thoughts, to challenge the reader and to question commonly accepted opinions, values, etiquette and ideas. Within our pages, you may find: works that tackle hot-button issues, works presented in a style that is out of the ordinary, works that present the reader with a question or debate, and works that break mainstream rules within their genre. All of the pieces you find on this site have been through our workshop process, during which the RP&D editorial staff works closely with contributors to hone their voice and help them to produce the best possible work for you, the reader, to experience.

We currently accept works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry every month between the 1st and the 15th. Please view our guidelines page for more information on submission requirements.

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Straylight: Call for Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction

Straylight, the literary journal of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, is calling for submissions of fiction and poetry for both our print magazine and for publication on our website. Our online edition (The Villa) is also calling for novellette and novella-length fiction submissions for serialization. We will consider any genre, but are looking for high-quality work. Submissions may be made electronically at https://straylight.submittable.com/submit. Find us on the web at www.straylightmag.com.

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The Sunflower Collective: Call for submissions (Rolling — all round the year)

The Sunflower Collective is looking for submissions. We celebrate the personal and the political — which we believe to be one and the same thing — in art. We would like to mention at the outset that we are not interested in art that does not take risks. We do not mind if you have a degree but we are unlikely to be impressed by it. Nor do we care which journals have published your work before. All we are interested in is something that sings for itself without any props, something that grabs us by our throat and refuses to let go, something that shakes us out of our complacent stupor. Give us something hungry, not bellyful; something beat, if you get our drift. We express our inability to publish anything that propagates either left-wing or right-wing fascism.

Please send us your poems, prose, artwork and photographs in the body of the mail at thesunflowercollectiveindia@gmail.com with the subject line mentioning your genre of Submissions. Do read the submission guidelines before sending your work.

Submission Guidelines:

1) Poetry: 1-5 poems (Around 5 pages of poetry in total)
2) Prose: 2000-3000 words ( Fiction/ Non Fiction/ Experimental/Memoirs)
3) Art work and Photographs/ Photo Essays (5-10 in JPEG format and must not exceed 250K in size )
4) Format: Poetry and Prose submissions to be sent in the body of the mail, unless there are specific formatting requirements from the author (Needs to be mentioned in the mail). Photos and scanned Artwork in zipped folders. Photo essays in MS Word with zipped folders of JPEG images separately attached.

Please send us your work in a single mail only.
http://sunflowercollective.blogspot.in/p/about.html

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Transfigured Lit – Open Call for Flash Fiction

A new Flash Fiction Journal Rooted in Christ seeks stories of 1,000 words or less by Christian writers. All genres are welcome. Stories don’t necessarily have to be “religious,” but must not have any cussing, sex, etc. We are especially interesting in reading flash with a literary quality to it. Submit by email, no fee. See our submission guidelines for more info: transfiguredlit.wordpress.com/submission-guidelines

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whimperbang

whimperbang, an online journal of artistic commentary, published three times a year, invites the submission of serious, directed artistic expressions that reflect or comment upon today’s world. All literary and visual genres will be considered. See our “Submission Guidelines” at http://whimperbang.com/submissions.

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WILDNESS

WILDNESS wants work that evokes the unknown. Now seeking poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Submissions on a rolling basis.
URL: readwildness.com

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  1. […] Sonoma County has several open calls for submissions. Take a look and see if there’s anything you’d be interested in writing or submitting. Remember, you might get a rejection, but you might just get the chance to see your work in print. […]